UNESCO lists Batur Bali in global geoparks network

Rep: Satya Festiani/ Red: Yeyen Rostiyani

Antara/Widodo S Jusuf

Mount Batur in Bali (file photo)

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PARIS - UNESCO enlists Mount Batur in Bali in global geoparks network, along with sites in China, Hungary and Spain, as cited in Xinhua. Batur becomes Indonesia’s first geopark. The new sites bring the total number of geoparks in the network to 91 in 27 countries.

Other new sites announced on Friday are a mountain massif in Jiangxi Province in the southeast of China, Bakony-Balaton in Hungary, and Geological and Mining Park of Central Catalonia in Spain.

The global geoparks network, created with UNESCO's support in 2004 to encourage cooperation between geological heritage experts and practitioners, links important, rare, and beautiful geological heritage sites to promote sustainable development for local communities.

It also seeks to promote awareness of geological hazards and disaster mitigation strategies, climate change and the need to manage natural resources sustainably.